Firm: City is hungry for fun

STOCKTON - An Oakland developer who planned to build a furniture store in a historic downtown hotel said he is instead considering turning the 1860s landmark into a restaurant and nightclub.

David Siders

STOCKTON - An Oakland developer who planned to build a furniture store in a historic downtown hotel said he is instead considering turning the 1860s landmark into a restaurant and nightclub.

The collapse of the housing market, developer Mike Sarimsakci said, has beset the furniture industry. Perhaps less deflated is the appetite for fun.

"Still, people want to go out," he said. "They want to have a good time. No matter what the economy is, you still have to enjoy life, I think."

Sarimsakci, president of Black Sea Development LLC, said last year he would build a Black Sea Gallery furniture store and a Greek cafe in the hotel, likely by fall 2007. The City Council voted to sell the vacant, three-story building for $600,000 based on that plan.

But Black Sea has since closed all but two of its 11 Northern California stores, and Sarimsakci has told the city he will not build one here.

Any revision to the city's agreement with Black Sea would require council approval.

"We told them that we do not sell our key development sites for speculative purposes," acting Redevelopment Director Paul Blumberg said. "We're not interested in just selling them the building."

The city would be interested in closing the sale, however, "if they come up with something groovy," Blumberg said.

The initial deal's announcement last year cheered civic leaders and preservationists, who called it proof retailers could be lured downtown and that old buildings could be useful.

The B&M Building, between the Hotel Stockton and City Centre Cinemas 16, is a designated Stockton landmark. It was a hotel when it was built in the late 1860s but had become a state parole office by 2001, when the city purchased it for $592,000.

Paul Rapp, chairman of Stockton's Cultural Heritage Board, called the failure of the furniture store deal a disappointment, but he said a restaurant or other entertainment venue could appeal to the late-night crowd that downtown advocates have clamored for.

Vice Mayor Leslie Baranco Martin said, "I'm hoping that it's a place to get some dancing in."

Sarimsakci declined to name the companies he has negotiated with about operating inside the building. They include national and local operators, he said.

"It's a significant investment on our part, and we really want this deal to move forward," he said.

Blumberg said Black Sea has operated in good faith, designing and planning for the building's reuse before deciding against a furniture store.

"They'd gotten a long ways, but you know, meanwhile, they're getting creamed by the economy," he said. "We're giving them time. There's no reason to cut them off right away."

Contact reporter David Siders at (209) 943-8580 or dsiders@recordnet.com.